We want to run payroll in-house on freee — what do we ask a shakai hoken roumushi for?

Key points: When deciding whether to process payroll in-house with freee or outsource it, compare who will check attendance, manage changes and approve the results, as well as who runs the calculation. The main service of 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 is the HR Outsourcing Plan, which includes payroll processing. For 1–3 people on the payroll, fees are from 33,000 yen per month, including tax / initial setup and workflow design from 88,000 yen, including tax. We do not describe all in-house support as free or promise an automatic fixed reduction when payroll moves in-house.

This article sets out comparison points for business owners and back-office staff who want to continue processing payroll internally or bring it back from an external provider. Processing your own company's payroll does not itself require qualification as a Japanese Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant). Checking employment terms, insurance information and the basis for settings remains necessary.

What work remains inside the company with in-house payroll?

Write out the work from collecting attendance to paying wages, assigning a person and deadline to each task. Software can perform calculations, but the work before and after those calculations remains.

Task	What the company checks
Checking, correcting and finalizing attendance	Missing time entries, leave, actual work performed and approval status
Organizing changes	Hires, departures and changes in working conditions, allowances and dependents
Updating payroll settings	Basis for changes, applicable month and consistency with insurance information
Checking results	Differences from the previous month, prorated amounts and deductions
Final approval and payment	Approver, payment deadline and correction procedure

Another comparison point is whether someone else can check the work when the usual person is absent. Even if one person knows how to operate the software, handovers become difficult if only that person understands why settings have changed.

What should you decide before configuring freee?

Organize the pay structure, allowances and deductions, cutoff and payment dates, attendance approver, social insurance information and the first-run checking method. Comparing settings with current employment contracts, work rules, payslips and employee information helps identify points to confirm.

For example, when company housing costs or similar items are deducted from wages, check the basis for the deduction rather than deciding its treatment simply because the software allows the setting. Article 24, paragraph 1 of Japan's Labor Standards Act establishes payment of wages in full as the general rule and provides for partial deductions where otherwise specified by law or where the prescribed written labor-management agreement exists. Treatment of particular deductions and preparation of documents are matters to confirm with a qualified professional.

Use freee's official help for operating instructions and consult a Shakai Hoken Roumushi about questions on the labor-related basis or timing of processing. Direct the question to the appropriate source according to its subject.

How should you compare in-house processing with the HR Outsourcing Plan?

Comparison point	Processing payroll in-house	四葉's HR Outsourcing Plan
Calculations and payslips	Performed internally	Included in the monthly fee
Routine social insurance and employment insurance filings	Perform internally or agree the outsourced scope individually	Specified routine filings included in the monthly fee
Software and attendance	Check your own usage contract and plan	Includes freee人事労務 Standard, LINE time clock and online payslips
Checking and finalizing attendance	Company responsibility	Company responsibility
Final approval of payroll results	Company responsibility	Company responsibility
Initial setup and ongoing support	Confirm support scope and costs individually	Initial fee and monthly headcount-band fees presented in advance

Even with outsourcing, the company is responsible for checking and finalizing attendance and giving final approval of payroll results. Under the plan, 四葉 handles payroll and routine filings, while the company provides personnel changes and finalized attendance and obtains necessary internal approvals. Points requiring further judgment are organized for labor consultation.

When comparing the cost of in-house processing, include the operator's time, the checker's time, handovers during leave or staff departures, and quotations for initial setup and individual support, as well as software fees. A policy of building knowledge inside the company can also be a reason to choose in-house processing.

How much is needed at the start if you outsource to 四葉?

Fees are from 33,000 yen per month for 1–3 people on the payroll, including tax / initial setup and workflow design from 88,000 yen, including tax. The initial fee includes freee configuration, LINE time clock setup, pay structure and allowance/deduction settings, employee registration, social insurance information, the first payroll test and workflow design.

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Monthly fees are 44,000 yen for 4–5 people and 55,000 yen for 6–10. For 11 or more people, the fee is 55,000 yen plus 3,300 yen for each person above 10. All figures include tax, with headcount bands reflecting payroll, filings, usage capacity and inquiries.

The monthly fee includes payroll, updates such as social insurance rates, everyday labor advice and routine filings. Routine filings cover enrollment and withdrawal, dependent changes, monthly remuneration change reports, bonus payment reports, annual remuneration reports and annual labor insurance renewal. freee会計, initial insurance registration, residence status applications, year-end tax adjustment, full recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), specialist translation and extended interpreting are outside the scope. See the fee schedule for details.

What should you check before moving payroll in-house later?

Confirm the following before contracting for a transition.

1. Which payroll month the company will begin calculating, and who handles the preceding month.
2. Who will hold the freee contract and what access rights will apply.
3. Which employee information, payroll settings and historical data will be transferred, and in what format.
4. The scope and price of advice, filings and configuration support after the transition.

Data transfer conditions and costs at the end of the contract require individual confirmation. The previous approach of simply subtracting a per-person payroll outsourcing charge cannot be applied to this plan. If circumstances change because an employee joins or leaves the back-office team, first reassess the division of work.

Can we consult you about foreign employees or welfare-sector payroll?

The priority clients for the HR Outsourcing Plan are companies employing foreign nationals, followed by disability welfare and group home (GH) operators. We directly provide basic consultations with owners and basic explanations of payroll and social insurance in Chinese. Other foreign languages use AI and translation assistance; specialist translation and extended interpreting are charged separately.

四葉行政書士事務所 handles residence status applications and applications for designation as a GH service provider. 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 handles payroll, social insurance and labor matters. They are independent businesses, with separate contracts, direct billing and direct payment to each office. For tax, we guide clients to consult a Japanese tax accountant directly; for registration, a judicial scrivener; and for contentious matters, an attorney. No referral fees are paid or received.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can we consult you before adopting freee?
A. Yes. You can consult us once you have begun organizing headcount, the payroll cutoff date, pay structure and your current process. The first consultation is free for up to 60 minutes.

Q. Is all support for in-house processing included in the monthly fee?
A. We do not offer that as a general inclusion. The main service is the HR Outsourcing Plan, under which payroll is entrusted to us. Support scope, implementation fees and ongoing fees for in-house processing are confirmed individually.

Q. If we outsource, can we stop checking attendance?
A. The company remains responsible for checking, correcting and finalizing attendance and giving final approval of payroll results. We establish the responsible people and deadlines during setup.

Q. How much does the monthly fee fall when we move payroll in-house?
A. There is no preset automatic discount. We review the contract and fees after confirming the post-transition scope of advice and filings, software licensing and data transfer conditions.

Sources for this article

• Labor Standards Act, Article 24, paragraph 1. The text and supplementary provisions were checked using the e-Gov legislation API on September 9, 2026. The latest promulgated amendment to the Act as a whole is Act No. 60 of 2026, with its principal provisions effective April 1, 2027 and some supplementary provisions effective July 17, 2026. Amendments that have not yet taken effect are not treated here as already applicable.
• 四葉's services and prices follow the V10 specification dated September 9, 2026. See the fee schedule and retainer comparison points.
• The roles of freee HR and a Shakai Hoken Roumushi explains software, qualifications and electronic filing. Check freee's official website and help for current functions and usage conditions.

This article provides general information. A qualified professional makes judgments about individual circumstances after a consultation. Written by 浦松丈二, a Japanese Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant, Administrative Scrivener and Real Estate Transaction Specialist.